I'm sure I'm not alone in this, but I'm wondering what is legal, and what my LL's duties are to me as a good tenant who always pays my rent on time.

After almost 2 years of trying to get it fixed, my LL has finally had major repair work done in my bathroom. I should be over the moon, but I feel more like crying:

- The work is shoddy and has been done improperly
- It has caused new problems
- Some of the things have still not been fixed
- I've had to put up with verbal abuse from the contractor
- I've been unable to use my shower for a week (I don't have a tub)
- I'm left with a ridiculous mess

What are my rights as a tenant? My new shower stall measures 2'x3'. I kid you not. Is this legal???

I was promised the work would take 2 days max. Instead, I was unable to use my shower for an entire week.

Now my drain seems to be clogged with debris, so when I shower it immediately floods the bathroom.
The edge of the shower also seems to be caulked with something that is not waterproof, it has turned into a big goopy mess that I can literally scoop up with a spoon.
The door to my bathroom will no longer close, because those idiots plastered the door frame and now the door no longer fits.
Our building doesn't have a real super - there's a porter who is here a few days a week, and the "super" is actually the contractor. Both take care of 11 buildings, so they never have time for anything (garbage build-up is so bad, we now have a mouse plague in the building).
The super, uh, I mean contractor, has said he doesn't have time until next week "sometime" to even look at what needs doing. He acts like it's all my fault and I'm breaking things on purpose, including his balls. I'm sick & tired of having to deal with him and his lousy attitude. Do I have to put up with this?

No, you don’t have to put up with this (forever). Call these agencies to have your questions answered.

DEPARTMENT OF BUILDINGS
Is the 2’x 3’ shower stall is legal?

DIVISION OF HOUSING AND COMMUNITY RENEWAL (DHCR)
My building has X number of apartments. Is a 24-hour onsite superintendent required? (If a building has a certain number of apt’s then it is required by law to have an onsite superintendent available 24 hours a day though I don’t know the minimum threshold.)

Also, call DHCR and ask them what you should do about your bathroom problems which are the clogged drain, faulty caulking and the non-closing door. They will tell you that you must request that your superintendent repair the problems. When you tell them that you already have and that he is not making the repairs then they will probably offer to mail you a complaint form that shall contain all necessary instructions. In summary, the complaint form urges the landlord to fix the problem or face the possibility of being ordered to reduce your rent. (Once you tell your lazy superintendent that you are considering filing a complaint with DHCR he will most likely attend to your repairs quickly because he doesn’t want your DHCR complaint reaching the landlord.

ENVIRONMENTAL CONTROL BOARD (ECB)
Call 311 and specifically tell them that you have a problem of the tenants’ trash piling up in the area where tenant trash is disposed of and also that, rats are making an overwhelming presence in that trash area because the trash is being left there for long periods of time; be specific such as “for 9 to 10 days at a time”. The 311 associate shall put you thru to an ECB specialist who will schedule an inspection. The inspector shall (within a month) examine that common exposed area and if it is bad he will note it in his report and then the ECB shall inform the landlord that he must clean up his act within 21 days or receive a fine. If the inspector is in a bad mood he has the authority to just issue a fine right on the spot additionally. If the landlord does not comply within 21 days, he gets the fine and he must appear in court. (I know this because my jack-ass landlord didn’t comply and he went through all of this.) The ECB associate shall give you a Complaint Number – write it down.